Updated: Obama Goes to Soccer Game that Didn’t Exist?

About two hours before reporters were supposed to be in position to leave with the president, Obama left the grounds of the White House. Members of the press were told he was attending one of his daughter’s soccer games in northwest Washington, D.C.

The White House press corps traditionally travels with the president anywhere he goes, inside and outside the country, to report on the president’s activities for the benefit of informing the public and for historical record.

After Obama left, a press aide hastily gathered members of the media who happened to be at the White House early or working on other matters. They rushed to a van and left the White House to catch up with the president.

Too late. By the time, the press van appeared to arrive at the president’s location, the press was told he was already departing. Time to go back to the White House.

Reporters and photographers didn’t have a chance to see him or his vehicle to verify his presence at any location.

The president left the White House at approximately 9:20 to attend one of his daughter’s soccer games at 40th and Chesapeake NW. A pool was hastily called at around 9:35 and drove north at 9:43 to catch the president before the game ended. We didn’t make it. The President returned to the White House at 10:17. The pool returned at 10:30.

So that is the story. Except there are some problems with it. The first one is a biggie in that there were no scheduled soccer games for Sidwell Friends April 10 as evidenced here. The second is that the area reported that the game was played at appears to be one of high crime as documented here and here. Additionally, this is a pic of the field where he went to watch the game.

This just does not make sense. The President of the United States venturing out (was Secret Service even with him?) to a soccer game that didn’t exist in a high-crime area.

If the President left the White House at 9:20AM as reported, according to Mapquest, it takes about 16 minutes to get from the White House to 40th and Chesapeake NW, bringing his arrival time to the field at 9:36AM or so. But, then he would have had to leave the field at the latest at 10:00AM to return to the White House at the documented time of 10:17AM. So, he spent about 20 minutes at the game? When did the game end? That time is vague as well.

Furthermore, with all of the technology that people have–iPhones, Blackberries–not one person took a photo of Obama? And the press didn’t get a shot of him getting into his vehicle? For a person who loves the camera and every single opportunity to be photographed, this just does not add up, folks.

It just doesn’t pass the test of logistics and definitely smells like some kind of cover up, especially with the casual tone of the report. It will be interesting to see what Robert Gibbs, David Axelrod, and company will say on the talk shows and at Monday’s press conference. But, remember, the truth never changes.

Update: By the way, this is what Obama looks like at a soccer game. Still no pictures–even two days later. Where did the President go? Where is the media? Considering we just disarmed to Russia and Poland’s President and 95 others were killed hours before, and Kyrgystan’s government was just overthrown should raise even more questions.